10 Everyday Technologies You Don't Realize You Use

It's not so difficult to recognize much of the technology we use on a daily basis: computers, cell phones, microwave ovens, refrigerators and convection ovens that cook food evenly. But do we really know exactly how our everyday technology is working for us? And what about the stealth technologies we're merrily using without even realizing it?

In the next few pages, we'll be looking at complicated and also very, very simple technologies that surround us. We'll discuss some uses for the technology that might surprise you, and we'll also cover how the technology works in ways you might not expect.

You'll learn how a simple act we might repeat everyday on the Internet is actually improving a different (and common) technology. We'll go over why you can turn your phone horizontally and not see a sideways picture. And, perhaps most importantly, you'll recognize the importance of an underappreciated little technology called the spring.